Objective: (Articulate how one's biases can affect observations and our expectations of individuals.)
One of the primary objectives for the VA Paraprofessional Project is to broaden student's overall understanding and awareness of our own cultural biases. This activity aligns with the course objective in place for 165 but also provides an additional exercise to explore hidden cultural biases.
Activity: This is a short activity from the IRIS website that demonstrates biases with an activity embedded in the document.
Download the document. After reading the description of the tribe of Nacirema, answer the questions included on the document. Summarize by discussing how this relates to our own expectations of families and children.
Resource:Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL)
This objective is to create an awareness of the importance of following children's interest in early childhood programs. This resource, and the activities that follow are included as an extension of an awareness of strategies that work with all children. Additionally, children with developmental delays are much more likely to engage in social play, attend to literacy activities, and participate in learning activities, etc. when teachers are aware of their interests and guide them into the activities with those interests in mind. Children on the autism spectrum are especially likely to have specified interests. Oftentimes teachers will try to extinguish the interest of those children. However, tuning into the interests of these children will actually provide them with more learning opportunities and increase initiative and engagement. Teachers can then help students broaden their areas of engagement and interest as they become more regulated and learn new social, communication, and cognitive skills.
(Either for Infant/Toddler, or Preschool), observe 2 children during 2 different play periods and indicate their areas of interests on the interest matrix (feel free to add additional areas if needed). Afterwards, choose 2 of the interest areas you observed, and give an example of a teacher planned activity for each to follow up on the child’s interests. Repeat for each child. Summarize by explaining the benefits of using child interest as the starting point for activity planning.
Part B: When working with children with disabilities, it may be necessary to make some adaptations to the environment, materials and /or instructional activities to aid children in determining interests and providing increased opportunities to engage in those interests.
After watching the video: Getting Kids Involved: Creating Opportunities for Learning (from the Center for Early Literacy Learning [CELL], use the Adaptation Checklist to consider which adaptations might increase opportunities for exploration and discovery of interests for children with disabilities in your observation environment (whether there are currently children with disabilities attending or not).
Adaptation Checklist for Children with Disabilities
165 Observation and Data Collection
CHD 165: Assignment one:
Objective: (Articulate how one's biases can affect observations and our expectations of individuals.)
One of the primary objectives for the VA Paraprofessional Project is to broaden student's overall understanding and awareness of our own cultural biases. This activity aligns with the course objective in place for 165 but also provides an additional exercise to explore hidden cultural biases.Resource: The IRIS Center:
awareness of biases nacirema.pdf
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Activity: This is a short activity from the IRIS website that demonstrates biases with an activity embedded in the document.Download the document. After reading the description of the tribe of Nacirema, answer the questions included on the document. Summarize by discussing how this relates to our own expectations of families and children.
Rubric for 165- Assignment One
CHD 165: Assignment Two
Objective: Define the importance of observing for and following the interests of children when planning learning activities.
!! New central website for CELL:
http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/index.php
Res
ource:Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL)
This objective is to create an awareness of the importance of following children's interest in early childhood programs. This resource, and the activities that follow are included as an extension of an awareness of strategies that work with all children. Additionally, children with developmental delays are much more likely to engage in social play, attend to literacy activities, and participate in learning activities, etc. when teachers are aware of their interests and guide them into the activities with those interests in mind. Children on the autism spectrum are especially likely to have specified interests. Oftentimes teachers will try to extinguish the interest of those children. However, tuning into the interests of these children will actually provide them with more learning opportunities and increase initiative and engagement. Teachers can then help students broaden their areas of engagement and interest as they become more regulated and learn new social, communication, and cognitive skills.
Assignment:
http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/ta_pdf/ec_classrm_ints_tool.pdf
(Either for Infant/Toddler, or Preschool), observe 2 children during 2 different play periods and indicate their areas of interests on the interest matrix (feel free to add additional areas if needed). Afterwards, choose 2 of the interest areas you observed, and give an example of a teacher planned activity for each to follow up on the child’s interests. Repeat for each child. Summarize by explaining the benefits of using child interest as the starting point for activity planning.
Part B: When working with children with disabilities, it may be necessary to make some adaptations to the environment, materials and /or instructional activities to aid children in determining interests and providing increased opportunities to engage in those interests.
1.View the video:
Video: http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/getting_kids_involved.php
After watching the video: Getting Kids Involved: Creating Opportunities for Learning (from the Center for Early Literacy Learning [CELL], use the Adaptation Checklist to consider which adaptations might increase opportunities for exploration and discovery of interests for children with disabilities in your observation environment (whether there are currently children with disabilities attending or not).
Rubric for 165 Assignment 2.